Week In Review

With the weather warming up I decided it was time

to do a closet purge and reorganization.

It was definitely needed.

I usually have a pretty good handle on what is in my closet

but for some reason last year things got out of control.

No more though, things are now back under control

I went over to my son & daughter-in-law's

and helped them with some spring cleaning.

They have been so sick for so long and

I was glad I was able to give them a helping hand.

My daughter-in-law treated me to Pupusas for the first time

which I quite enjoyed.

Monday I got a surprised letter from a young friend of mine.

We used to work together until she moved away.

We used to just keep in touch at Christmas

but have started writing more frequently.

It makes my heart sing when I get a letter from her.

Tuesday night I pulled out my stitching

which has been on a break since before our vacation.

It probably wasn't the best night to work on it

as I was extremely tired

and ended up having to take out everything I put in.

Wednesday morning I was up early and off the dentist before work.

I was glad to get a clear bill of health on my teeth!

No fillings or crows needed.

Thursday I stopped to visit my parents and they gave me this picture.

It has special meaning and I have always loved it.

We lived in the Northwest Territories and when we left

my parents were gifted this beautiful

Moose Hair Tufted picture.

These are made completely by hand and represent hours of work.

I just have to find the perfect spot to hang it.

Friday my car had to be taken in for a tire repair.

It picked up this nail.

Thankfully the tire was still under warranty

and it just cost us our time of having to take it in.

I hope you had a wonderful week!

~*~

~Finding the amazing in the simple~

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Alana

 

Guest Room Makeover Part 1 - All the Emotions

Now that we are home from our vacation

and with the exciting news that tickets are booked

and our daughter and son-in-law

will be coming to visit us in July

I can no longer procrastinate on making over the guest room.

It is the first time the whole family will be together since 2019.

The guest room was formerly my daughter's room

and I hadn't done much with it since she moved.

Honestly, I've just been procrastinating.

The first part of it was the biggest job -

cleaning it out and going through everything that my daughter left.

My daughter loves quilts and duvets.

I had quite a few to sort through

and many pictures were sent back and forth.

Some we decided to give away,

some got sent down to her

and we kept a few.

Once we got everything moved into the other room

the fun part began.

I decided to go with a Navajo White for the walls.

It went best with the two quilts I decided to keep for the guest room.

The paint covered the green walls amazingly well.

What I wasn't quite prepared for was the emotions that I felt

as I started to make over this room.

This was my daughter's room since she was quite young

and it has had a few makeovers

but this would be the final one.

It is no longer my daughter's room

but a guest room.

A few tears were shed as I painted

but it felt good to work through the emotions.

This was also going to be the last makeover

as we hope to move in the next few years,

so that was a little sad as well.

I love my little house.

However, once I worked through the emotions

the excitement of making over the room took over.

I was thrilled with the final result on the walls and trim.

Time to move onto part two of the makeover -

the finishing touches!

Have you ever had an emotional room makeover? 

~*~

~Finding the amazing in the simple~

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Alana

Chicken for Lunches

 

With both hubby & I having high blood pressure

and hubby also dealing with high cholesterol

I have started roasting our chicken for lunches.

I use the chicken in salads

and for sandwiches or wraps

and the flavor is so much better than

what you can buy in the store.

I start by lining my pan with parchment paper.

I then slice two chicken breasts

and brush with canola oil

I then sprinkle lightly with seasoned salt & pepper.

I then pick some of my favorite Mrs Dash seasonings.

One of my favorite combinations is the Table Blend and Garlic & Herb.

I sprinkle these generously over the chicken breasts.

I then bake in a 375F oven for approximately 30 minutes or until just done.

This keeps the chicken from being too dry when you go to use it later.

Once it has cooled I slice it into thin strips.

I then wrap each individual chicken breast in Saran Wrap

and but both in a freezer bag and put in the freezer.

When I am ready to use the chicken in a lunch

it is easy to pull out one chicken breast

which is plenty when divided between the two of us for lunch.

I actually usually have leftovers

and often can get two lunches for both of us

from one chicken breast.

The flavor is great, it is super easy and convenient

and it is also a very healthy option.

~*~

~Finding the amazing in the simple~

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Alana

What's to Eat This Week?

 

Now that we are back home for vacation

it is time to get back into the routine of things

as much as possible.

Hubby has a crazy work schedule

as they are super short staffed at the moment

which can make meals a little more challenging

between his Day and Night shifts.

Monday

Ready Spaghetti

Garlic Bread

Cesar Salad

Tuesday

Oven Baked Chicken

Mashed Potatoes w/Gravy

Baked Carrots

Corn

Wednesday

Cheesy Mushroom Fish

Ancient Grain Rice Blend

Garlicky Green Beans

Mashed Turnip

Thursday

Choice of leftovers

Friday

Teriyaki Chicken & Vegetables

Rice

Asian Salad

Saturday

Pizza & Movie Night

Sunday

Ham

Scalloped Potatoes

Broccoli w/cheese Sauce

Corn

What's on your menu this week?

~*~

~Finding the amazing in the simple~

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Alana

How Do You Spend Your Last Day of Vacation?

Our daughter calls our last day of our visit

“Sad Blob Day” 😂

We started off the day with brunch

at Virginia Kitchen.

We then spent some time

on the deck enjoying the flowers

and the weather.

While I started on packing

and my daughter did some cleaning

the guys had naps.

We decided to stretch our legs a bit

and took a neighbourhood stroll.

I wish my neighbourhood stroll was this pretty.

We decided to order in from Carrabba’s for dinner

and finished the evening with some pretty toes.

We managed to keep busy so we weren’t too sad.

We will save that for tomorrow 

when we have to say good bye.

~*~

~Finding the amazing in the simple~

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Alana

Flowers for the Garden

After puttering in the garden

and getting it cleaned out

we decided to do some planting.

So we headed off to Lowe’s

to find the perfect flowers

for my daughter’s garden.

We found these beautiful Clematis plants.

My daughter loves the look of the tree stump

and wants the plants to grow up around it.

Hubby and daughter got some

father daughter time as they

transplanted the plants.

We also found this beautiful Begonia.

And a few Hydrangea pots.

Then we planted Sweet Peas to grow up the trellis.

I can’t wait to see them in bloom!

~*~

~Finding the amazing in the simple~

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Alana